Bhubaneswar: Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) and Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences (KISS) felicitated athletes on Friday at KIIT campus in Bhubaneswar for their performances at major international events, awarding them cash prizes totalling Rs 2.5 crore.
The ceremony celebrated student-athletes, who represented the nation at the 20th Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, and the 23rd Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland.
The contingent from KIIT and KISS delivered strong results on the global stage. At the Asian Games, 57 athletes from the twin institutions represented India, securing 21 medals, a tally matching the state of Punjab and ranking third overall behind Haryana and Maharashtra. Meanwhile, 14 KIIT students competed at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, bringing home five medals.
The prize money distribution rewarded performance levels across both international competitions. For the Asian Games, gold medalists received Rs 7 lakh, silver medalists took home Rs 5 lakh, and bronze medalists were awarded Rs 3 lakh. Commonwealth Games achievers were presented with Rs 5 lakh for gold, Rs 3 lakh for silver, and Rs 2 lakh for bronze. Every participant representing the country was also honoured with a cash grant of Rs 1 lakh.
The event featured prominent athletic performances across disciplines such as track and field and hockey. Highlights included setting new national records, historic podium finishes, and contributing directly to team successes, most notably as both the Indian men’s and women’s hockey teams clinched gold at the Asian Games. Additionally, several athletes secured qualification spots for the upcoming 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games.
The felicitations was held in the presence of with KIIT-KISS founder Achyuta Samanta as chief guest, alongside KIIT Vice Chancellor Saranjit Singh, Director General of Sports & Yoga Pro-VC (Admin) cum Registrar Jnyana Ranjan Mohanty, and KIIT-DU Gaganendu Dash, with additional athletes joining the event virtually.
Reaffirming his commitment to nurturing sporting talent, Samanta pledged ongoing assistance to help athletes bring recognition to India and announced a cash prize of Rs 1 crore for any institute athlete who wins a gold medal at the upcoming Olympic Games. “With education, we give our best to promote sports in our university. I extended my heartfelt congratulations to all the achievers and participants. I also thank the Prime Minister and Sports Minister for their support to sportspersons. We will always stand with the athletes and will ensure they perform best and bring accolades to our state and the country,” he added.